Child Care Aware ® is committed to helping parents find the best information on locating high-quality child care and child care resources in their community. In partnership with Child Care
Resource & Referral agencies (CCR&R), Child Care Aware ® builds consumer awareness and supports families in making choices for the care and education of their children.
For additional resources or help finding your local Child Care Resource
& Referral agency (CCR&R), call :
TTY Line: 1-866-278-9428
For local information contact:
This brochure offers some guidelines on how to use what you know about your infant or toddler—like personal style and activity level—to select a child care setting that’s just right.
The questions below can help you develop a profile of your child, and learn more about the type of care that might best meet your child’s needs.
Pick the one that describes your child most of the time.
Adaptable
» Flexible
» Approaches new people/situations with ease
» Good with transitions
Look for: Large group setting providing social interaction and new experiences.
Cautious
» Thoughtful
» Approaches new people/situations cautiously
» Has difficulty with transitions
Look for: Small group settings that are less overwhelming.
Feisty
» Passionate, feels things intensely
» Has difficulty controlling strong feelings, wants and needs
Look for: Programs where each child has a primary caregiver—someone who knows and understands your child. (Note: All children benefit from this, but especially children who are passionate and persistent.)
Child Care Aware ® , a program of the National
Association of Child Care Resource & Referral
Agencies (NACCRRA), is partly funded by the Child
Care Bureau (CCB), Office of Family Assistance (OFA),
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services.
© 2009 NACCRRA, www.naccrra.org
A joint production of NACCRRA and ZERO TO THREE 104e #558-1126
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1-800-424-2246 ChildCareAware.org
Adapted from the following ZERO TO THREE publications:
• Learning and Growing Together: Understanding and Supporting Your Child’s Development by Claire Lerner and
Amy Laura Dombro (2000).
• Caring for Infants & Toddlers in Groups: Developmentally Appropriate Practice by J. Ronald Lally et al. (1995).
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Big Reactors: Communicates feelings and does not hold back!
Look for : Caregivers who respect your child’s emotions but help him your child to express them in a more controlled way.
Low Reactors: Fusses very little, plays quietly and sleeps a lot.
Look for: Caregivers who gently introduce new activities
High Activity: Is always on the go.
Look for: Individual schedules, safe exploration and physical play
Low Activity: Sits quietly, explores through eyes and ears.
Look for: Caregivers who engage children in sensory-rich activities
High Tolerance:
» Is not bothered by changes
» Is adaptable
» Copes well with frustration
Look for: Mixed-age settings that offer enjoyable challenges and stimulation
Low Tolerance children:
» Is sensitive to changes
» Gets upset when daily routine is altered
» Is easily frustrated, impatient
Look for: Sameage settings with developmentally appropriate toys and activities.
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Super-Social:
» Enjoys approaching new people
» Is happiest interacting with others
Look for: Opportunities for group play
Take-it-Slow children:
» Is shy around strangers
» Needs time to warm up
Look for: Programs that allow children to choose when they would like to play with others.
Sleep
Look for: child-friendly settings offering:
» Individual schedules
» Separate sleeping areas
» Appropriate lighting (dim), temperature (comfortable) and noise level (low)
Cultural Identity
» Are staff interested in your family’s culture?
» Do staff speak your home language or find effective ways to communicate with you about your child?
» Are staff open to including books and other aspects of your child’s culture?
» Are staff’s values and practices consistent with your family’s?
Special Needs
» Are staff enthusiastic about working with your child?
» Do staff understand the medical and therapeutic procedures and assistive technology necessary to support your child?
» Are staff trained and supported to work with children with special needs?
» Is the setting accessible to your child?
» Do any books/toys feature children with special needs?
» Are staff willing to help your child develop the skills that match what your family believes are important?
High-quality child care providers make health and safety issues a top priority. Use the questions below as general guidelines and contact Child Care
Aware ® for more information (1-800-424-2246).
Are diapering, sleeping, food preparation and play areas separate?
Are there clearly written sanitation procedures specific to each area? Are instructions posted about proper diapering and food storage/preparation procedures?
Do staff receive training on health and safety issues?
Are infant and toddler toys washed and disinfected regularly?
Is there a policy for sick children?
Do adults regularly conduct safety checks of all areas inside and out for potential safety hazards?
Do staff maintain children’s personal grooming standards (for example, hand-washing)?
Are all infants put to sleep on their backs?
Is the staff equipped with appropriate first-aid materials? Do staff members know basic first-aid techniques (for example, CPR)?
Do staff practice fire drills and evacuation procedures? Is there a written policy in place for evacuation procedures?
Have satisfactory criminal history background checks been conducted on each adult present?
Has the program been inspected by the licensing agency within the last 12 months?
Responsive Care
Among the items we have discussed, there is one common thread: the need for caregiving staff to adapt their approach to meet your child’s needs.
This is called responsive care . To be responsive, caregivers need to be excellent observers of the children in their care and search for the meaning behind children’s gestures, gurgles, cries and glances.
Responsive caregivers wonder why a particular behavior is occurring, come up with an educated guess, and interact with the child to see if their guess is correct. Is a crying baby tired? Hungry? Wet?
Lonely? Frustrated?
Responsive caregivers adapt their responses based on the reason behind the behavior as well as the style of the individual child . This ensures that all children are treated as unique, with their own thoughts, feelings, preferences and needs.
Are infants and toddlers allowed to function on individual schedules?
Do parents receive daily written reports about their children’s day (and formal progress reports twice per year)?
Are parents free to visit at any time during the day?
Does the caregiver adhere to state-regulated caregiver: child ratios and group size?
Is the caregiver turnover rate under 20 percent? Why do caregivers leave?
When caregivers leave, how do staff help children understand the transition?
Do staff receive medical benefits, vacation leave and continuing education support?
How do caregivers respond to child-initiated interests?
How can parents get involved in the program?
If you are nursing, is the caregiver responsive and accommodating?
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